A start

Let's see - where do I start? Maybe an overview of what I hope to accomplish with this blog. Do I really hope to accomplish anything? No, not really. Well, nothing that is set in stone - although there are a few things that I hope to do.

When I turned 39, I guess I had a bit of a mid-life crisis. I realized that the person that I was currently was not the person I had envisioned myself being and not the person that I wanted to be when I turned 40. Basically, I was BORING!!! Somehow I had changed into the person that sits on the sidelines - wishing that it could be me that was having all these great experiences. So I began a quest to change those things about myself that I did not like. But habits developed over 40 years are not easily broken so I am still struggling to be a do-er and not a wish-er. I had to address (and am still addressing) those things which were holding me back.

The first thing that popped into my mind was my weight. I had really (and I mean really!!) let myself go - to the tune of 80-90 pounds overweight. So I started riding my bicycle in order to lose weight. I dropped 30 pounds (10 of which have crept back on) but I still was no where near where I needed to be. So I plan on using this blog to help keep me on track with my weight loss. My goal is to drop 30 pounds this year. So I am sure that I will whine and complain - a lot. Beginning weight: 178.8.

The second thing is my utter lack of self-confidence. In my mind, I know that I am a fairly intelligent individual (Watch out! Bragging ahead!! - I graduated summa cum laude in accounting). I am a pretty nice person. I love my friends and family and would do anything to help them. I don't abuse animals. I am not the ugliest person alive. (Now I am short and fat but occasionally, I'll see a picture of me and think "Hey, you don't look half bad". Mostly I see pictures of me and think "Burn that picture! Now!! And I'm not kidding!!!".) I am pretty good at board games. I know my limitations - example, I suck at casino games so I don't gamble... much. I am not a heavy drinker. I don't smoke. I like babies and puppies and kittens. I am a hard worker - well, not really hard, but I get things done. I don't speed...much. I don't lie...much. I recycle. I contribute to my IRA. See, nothing really terrible about me but like I said - in my mind, I know these things. It just doesn't translate into confidence. So I plan on doing some soul searching to figure out why.

So along with both of those things, I plan to use this blog to help me stay on track with my exercise program. I have a couple of goals: I want to do a century ride (which is 100 miles) and I want to hike the Grand Canyon. Obviously, I have my work cut out for me.

I also plan on posting some of my photographs - I am such an amateur. But hopefully, someone will stumble across my blog and critique my photographs and I will emerge as a great photographer, known across the globe. Well, I am kidding about that last part but critiques are always good.

I also want to improve my writing skills. As you can tell, my skills in the creative writing department are limited but hopefully with practice, I will improve.

So, the journey begins...